First Reptile Pet

[Horse Lover]

Hi everyone,
People in my family have allergies so I am allowed to get some sort of reptile/amphibian.
I have my hermit crabs( which are doing fine)
I was wondering if anyone could tell me about Bearded Dragons or a Leopard Geck or Chameleon or if anyone could reccomend some other pets, I have read different websites and got info, but some info is different from the other can anyone tell me which of them pets can be good for beginner and something thats OK with being handled?
Thanks So Much!

[Aspen and Misty]

I wouldn't recomend a Chameleon as they are VERY hard keepers and shouldn't be handled alot.

Bearded Dragons are cute, my friend had one and I loved him to pieces!

Ashley

[reptiledude]

chameleons are very hard to keep but snakes are probably the easist to keep. but if u want a lizad lepord geckos and bearded dragons ae good its just beardies need veggies also and lepord geckos just need small insects

[buttercup132]

Lepord Geckos and Beardies are excellent but all depend on how much money you want to spend.
Beardies need a BIG tank but Lepords need crickets all the time and you always have to go out and get them wich cost mmoney for gas. As for a Beardie since they eat veggies then you dont have to run back and forht buying crikeckets al the time because they dont eat as many crickets as the Leopards. I would think Beardie.

[Horse Lover]

Thanks Everyone, Maybe in a few years or when I am older I'll consider a cameleon, so I will a more experienced. I can provide the crickets and the veggies (hermits crabs need them too ) We have a petstore very nearby that supplies the crickets About how big tanks (gallon) do these Reptiles need? If I purchased any of these animals would they need a drip system? (just curious,I have been going through all these different things for reptiles through different petstores ), About the snakes, I would absuloutly love to get one but , people in my family are scared of them!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

About the snakes, I would absuloutly love to get one but , people in my family are scared of them!

To know them is to love them. If you do get a snake I highly recommend a corn snake as a first snake. They don't get too big and as far as snakes go they are about the easiest.

As others have stated chameleons aren't easy and should not be a starter reptile. I absolutely adore them and someday hope to have one.

I've never had a leopard gecko or a bearded dragon either.

I would like to say that iguanas are generally very popular because when you see them in the pet store they are small, cute, and extremely cheap. But I highly advise you to NOT get one. They grow to be very large lizards and they need a WHOLE LOT of space. They are also very very expensive to maintain. Sadly the majority of iguanas either die young because of improper care or they end up in an iguana rescue.

Good luck finding your pet.

[zoomer]

Geckos are excellent pets, esspecialy Leopards. They are less likely to bite than any gecko. The dog require a lot of money though.

[Suki Wingy]

ummmm.... Here's her 20 gallon long. Sorry I don't have a full shot. Here's a video of her eating: http://clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=E074D840BB8E668F

and a great link to a guy's site who breeds Scnhieder's:

http://www.helsinki.fi/~tuomola/s_housing.html
again, good luck!

[GekkeGekko]

funny thing that you mention that your skink is in a 20 gallon tank while the link you suggested says it should be at least 50 gallons....

My advice; don't buy a reptile untill you're really into them, untill you know a lot about them, don't buy before you know which one you want and are able to keep!

[Horse Lover]

Thanks I went to a petstore (fish place) and they had used tank and there was a 55 gallon for 30$ The thing was it was a bit dirty but the glass was fine, I think I could clean the tank up properly for a reptile but what do you think about a used tank? And about snakes, I really dont know if I can handle feeding a mouse to them...

[IRescue452]

If it was 30 dollars I'd have had it without thinking. I hope its still there if you decide to get it. If the glass has white stains from water it will come off with a little vinegar.

[CathyBogart]

Thanks I went to a petstore (fish place) and they had used tank and there was a 55 gallon for 30$ The thing was it was a bit dirty but the glass was fine, I think I could clean the tank up properly for a reptile but what do you think about a used tank? And about snakes, I really dont know if I can handle feeding a mouse to them...

Used tanks are wonderful! White vinegar is one of the best ways to get them clean, that stuff will take of almost anything.

I know what you mean about mice, even though I feed frozen it can still be a bit hard. Chubby's worth it to me, but if you don't want to, don't feel bad about it...it's definitely not for everyone, and there are lots of marvelous reptiles that don't eat mice.

[Suki Wingy]

funny thing that you mention that your skink is in a 20 gallon tank while the link you suggested says it should be at least 50 gallons....

Well, I was 5 when I got her and my parents did no research. She used to live in a ten gallong with woodchips. When we bought her we didn't even know what she was. The pet store keeper said she could live happily in a 10 gallon, and me being 5 years old, belived him. I've made it much better now. He also keeps pairs, remember.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

The only reptiles I ever had were Anoles and they were easy to take care of.

[IRescue452]

We never could get anoles to eat or keep their nutrition balanced. I always considered them one of the hardest lizards to keep healthy in captivity. They weren't much fun to handle either. We gave them up a long time ago. But I guess everybody has different experiences. I still think uros are the easiest I've had any experience with. My sister's came from a breeder and are nice and fat and healthy. They were only $50, the pet store here sells them for $68. I guess they could be $100 but it seems a hefty price.